According to CM Sawant, all new tourist vehicles in Goa would be electric starting in January 2024

According to Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, all new tourist vehicles, as well as taxis and motorcycles offered for hire, must be electric starting in January 2024.

At a side event sponsored by the NITI Aayog held in Panaji in conjunction with the fourth Energy Transitions Working Group conference, which is now taking place under India’s G20 Presidency, Sawant said that the Goa administration has proposed significant measures to boost EVs in the coastal state.

Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa for India, attended the side event as well.

According to Sawant, Goa has the fourth-highest proportion of electric vehicle (EV) purchases out of all the states in India.

He said that starting in January of the next year, all brand-new taxis, rental motorcycles, and tourist vehicles would be required to run on electricity.

He said that all new cars acquired by the government beginning in January 2024 must be electric vehicles.

By June 2024, permit holders that operate numerous tourist taxis, rent-a-bike, and rent-a-cab services must convert 30% of their fleet to electric vehicles, according to Sawant.

He said that Goa had 4.5 times the country’s average level of per-capita automobile ownership.

When it comes to vehicle density, Goa comes in at number 15 in the planet. According to him, Goa receives more than 85 lakh visitors each year despite having just 15 lakh residents due to its popularity as a tourist destination worldwide.

“This forms a major contributor for the increased carbon emission in the state due to a large number of taxis, rent-a-vehicle (services), and buses used to ferry tourists,” Sawant said.

According to a recent research, the operation of automobiles is responsible for 40% of all carbon emissions produced in Goa, he stated.

According to Sawant, the Goa government has funded 1,679 electric cars under a program of Rs 122 million (Rs 12.2 crore).

According to him, “after the scheme was introduced, the percentage sale of vehicles increased exponentially from 0.2% to 9.4% in 2022-23.”